The European Parliament on Thursday approved a resolution defending the fight against prostitution by penalizing clients, a decision praised by the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights (PpDM) but denounced by other organizations.
The logic of punishing clients who use prostitution services is a policy already adopted by a number of European countries and which is the subject of an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
The non-binding resolution was approved by 234 deputies (175 against and 122 abstentions), in a vote that divided all political groups in the Strasbourg plenary.
Led by German MEP Maria Noichl (Socialists and Democrats), the text encourages European Union (EU) countries to adopt the ‘Nordic model’ – Sweden was the first country in 1999 to allow purchasers of sexual services punished. This model was also adopted by Ireland and France.
The European Parliament calls on Member States “to ensure that it is a criminal offense to solicit, accept or obtain a sexual act from a person in exchange for a reward, a promise of reward, a benefit in kind or the promise of such a benefit stated”.
The proposal also defends the application of criminal sanctions against pimps. But he argues that prostitutes themselves should not be punished, as happens in countries such as Croatia and Lithuania.
Although prostitution is legal and regulated in some countries (particularly Germany, the Netherlands and Austria), the text states that differences in approach within the EU encourage organized crime.
“This report (…) highlights the way forward: creating exit programs and alternatives, eradicating poverty and social exclusion, dismantling stereotypes and inequalities and reducing demand by targeting customers,” said Maria Noichl after the vote, quoted by the France-Pers agency (AFP).
A similar text had already been approved by the European Parliament in February 2014.
The adoption of the document was classified as a ‘victory’ by the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights (PpDM) – which coordinates the European Women’s Lobby in Portugal and is a member of a coalition of more than 120 abolitionist organizations.
“It was a voice for the survivors: for those who escaped and for those who are still trapped in systemic violence and the exploitation of prostitution, and who deserve a better future,” PpDM defended in a statement.
According to the platform, the adoption of MEP Maria Noichl’s report is “a milestone for women in Europe, as they represent 90% of people in prostitution and 87% of victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.”
PpDM emphasizes that “the abolitionist approach aims to guarantee survivors of prostitution instruments that allow them to reclaim their power,” while “placing the burden of stigmatization and shame on so-called ‘sex buyers’, who believe that freely given permission can be purchased. .”
Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld (Renew Europe, centrists and liberals), on the other hand, complained about “a purely ideological resolution” that “will do nothing to protect the rights and safety of sex workers”.
In the same vein, thirteen non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, grouped in a “European Coalition for the Rights and Inclusion of Sex Workers”, had called for the rejection of the report in early September.
These NGOs argue that the criminalization of clients increases sex workers’ insecurity and their vulnerability to violence and infectious diseases.
They also recall that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has declared admissible the request of 260 sex workers to repeal the 2016 French law. The Court is expected to rule on the merits of the case in the coming months.
Source: DN
